AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2026, Melbourne, WTA GRAND SLAM

[britbox]

DATE: 18 January - 1 February 2026
SURFACE: Hard
PRIZE MONEY: A$49,171,000
FIELD SIZE: 128
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Madison Keys

The Tournament:

Nicknamed "The Happy Slam", The Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year and has been staged since 1905. Prior to 1988 the tournament was played on grass. Since 1988 two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used at Melbourne Park (formely known as Flinders Park) - Rebound Ace to 2007 and then Plexicushion.

The competition features men's and women's singles, men's, women's and mixed doubles, juniors’ championships, wheelchair, legends, and exhibition events.

The showcourts are the Rod Laver Arena (15,000 seats), Margaret Court Arena (7,500 seats), Melbourne Arena (9,600 seats), and two other show courts (2&3) with approximately 3,000 seats. The three main arenas have retractable roofs.

About Melbourne:

Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most liveable cities, frequently ranking near the top of global liveability indexes. It is Australia’s second-largest city after Sydney, with a metropolitan population of just over 5 million people.

Founded in 1835 during the Victorian gold rush era, Melbourne sits on the northern edge of the expansive natural harbour of Port Phillip Bay. From its bayside suburbs, the city fans out toward the Dandenong and Macedon Ranges, the Mornington Peninsula, and the renowned wine regions of the Yarra Valley — giving it a rare mix of urban density, coastline, and countryside within easy reach.

At the heart of the city is Federation Square, a modern civic precinct on the banks of the Yarra River that serves as a cultural meeting point, hosting major sporting broadcasts, festivals, exhibitions, and live performances. Just across the river, Southbank is home to the Melbourne Arts Precinct, which includes Arts Centre Melbourne—one of the largest performing arts centres in the Southern Hemisphere and the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia’s oldest and most visited art museum, with world-class Australian and Indigenous collections.

Often described as Australia’s sporting capital, Melbourne is synonymous with major international events, none more so than the Australian Open. Each January, the city comes alive as players and fans from around the world converge on Melbourne Park, drawn not only by world-class tennis, but by the city’s vibrant food culture, café scene, street art, and famously unpredictable weather—sometimes all four seasons in a single day.

Seeds:

1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Iga Świątek
3. Coco Gauff
4. Amanda Anisimova
5. Elena Rybakina
6. Jessica Pegula
7. Jasmine Paolini
8. Mirra Andreeva
9. Madison Keys
10. Belinda Bencic
11. Ekaterina Alexandrova
12. Elina Svitolina
13. Linda Nosková
14. Clara Tauson
15. Emma Navarro
16. Naomi Osaka
17. Victoria Mboko
18. Liudmila Samsonova
19. Karolína Muchová
20. Marta Kostyuk
21. lise Mertens
22. Leylah Fernandez
23. Diana Shnaider
24. Latvia Jeļena Ostapenko
25. Paula Badosa
26. Dayana Yastremska
27. Sofia Kenin
28. Emma Raducanu
29. Iva Jovic
30. Maya Joint
31. Anna Kalinskaya
32. Markéta Vondroušová

 

[britbox]

@MargaretMcAleer has advised me the draw is imminent.

You should be able to watch live here:

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

The AO is the only Grand Slam that Iga Swiatek is yet to win, and she has only ever reached the SFs.
Iga reached the final 4 in 2022 and 2025 but her journey was ended by Danielle Collins and Madison Keys respectively
Could 2026 be the year that Iga Swaitek completes her Career Grand Slam!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I have done projected draw for the the seeds for the QFs,
Sabalenka vs Paolini
Gauff vs Andreeva
Pegula vs Anisimova
Rybakina vs Swiatek

Sabalenka and Gauff are in the top half of the draw
Bottom half is loaded with Swiatek, Anisimova, Pegula, and Keys defending champion

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Interesting first round matches,
Bencic vs Boulter
Vekic vs Andreeva
Shnaider vs Krejcikova
Danilovic vs Williams

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Matches in the Top Half of the womens draw will be Sunday and Monday
Matches in the Bottom half of the womens draw will be Monday and Tuesday
Womens and mens doubles will commence Tuesday the 20th January

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Ranked outside the Top 1000, former US Open champion Sloane Stephens won 3 straight matches for the first time since 2024 and has qualified for the AO in 2026.

 

[Kieran]

The AO is the only Grand Slam that Iga Swiatek is yet to win, and she has only ever reached the SFs.
Iga reached the final 4 in 2022 and 2025 but her journey was ended by Danielle Collins and Madison Keys respectively
Could 2026 be the year that Iga Swaitek completes her Career Grand Slam!

I kinda feel she's lost a bit of her flavour, to be honest. Hopefully she has a great start to the season. I prefer her to Sabylenko, who is typical of bullies, she cries when she gets hit..

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I kinda feel she's lost a bit of her flavour, to be honest. Hopefully she has a great start to the season. I prefer her to Sabylenko, who is typical of bullies, she cries when she gets hit..

A few women players that can win it this year, big hitters can take the racket out of Iga's hands,
I have to include Sabalenka she was 'lethal' in Brisbane as the defending champion, didnt lose a set all tournament, Coco Gauff if she can control her serve and fhand, she is one of the best athletes on the tour.Rybakina another big hitter, though sometimes her mind set lets her down, last but not least Anisimova she has the game on hard courts, again she has to 'believe' at the crucial moments.

 

[Kieran]

A few women players that can win it this year, big hitters can take the racket out of Iga's hands,
I have to include Sabalenka she was 'lethal' in Brisbane as the defending champion, didnt lose a set all tournament, Coco Gauff if she can control her serve and fhand, she is one of the best athletes on the tour.Rybakina another big hitter, though sometimes her mind set lets her down, last but not least Anisimova she has the game on hard courts, again she has to 'believe' at the crucial moments.

Absolutely sister, good breakdown!

 

[El Dude]

I don't know, Swiatek and Sabalenka are probably the best players of the post-prime Serena world (say, 2016-present), which has been dominated by lesser stars like Halep, Barty, Kerber, etc. They're getting closer to the Henin-to-Clijsters territory of lesser greats...Azarenka and maybe Barty had that potential, but both fell off. Osaka looked like she was going places, but she couldn't hack it.

I don't follow the WTA nearly as much, but I go through spurts of trying to catch up. One thing I've noticed, though, is that there's more of a fall-off from the inner circle greats and everyone else, and then with everyone else there are more 1-4 Slam types than the ATP. Anyhow, after Serena (born in 1981), the most accomplished players are Henin (1982), Clijsters (1983), and Sharapova (1987). Then you have a group of Ivanovic, Kerber, Azarenka, Kvitova, Wozniacki, Halep, Pliskova, Muguruza, Krejcikova, Barty, Osaka, Ostapenko, etc, born 1987-97...better than the ATP's Lost and Next Gens, but with no true greats. Sabalenka (1998), Swiatek (2001), and maybe Gauff (2004) and Andreeva (2007) seem to have the best potential since at least Sharapova.

The point being, while Swiatek may have fallen off a bit from the promise she showed in 2022 when she looked like could take over the WTA, she's still looking like a Henin-level great, if not eventually more, and we haven't really had any of those since, well, Henin. Even Sharapova was bolstered by longevity - she was never really more dominant than half the players listed above.

 

[Fiero425]

I don't know, Swiatek and Sabalenka are probably the best players of the post-prime Serena world (say, 2016-present), which has been dominated by lesser stars like Halep, Barty, Kerber, etc. They're getting closer to the Henin-to-Clijsters territory of lesser greats...Azarenka and maybe Barty had that potential, but both fell off. Osaka looked like she was going places, but she couldn't hack it.

I don't follow the WTA nearly as much, but I go through spurts of trying to catch up. One thing I've noticed, though, is that there's more of a fall-off from the inner circle greats and everyone else, and then with everyone else there are more 1-4 Slam types than the ATP. Anyhow, after Serena (born in 1981), the most accomplished players are Henin (1982), Clijsters (1983), and Sharapova (1987). Then you have a group of Ivanovic, Kerber, Azarenka, Kvitova, Wozniacki, Halep, Pliskova, Muguruza, Krejcikova, Barty, Osaka, Ostapenko, etc, born 1987-97...better than the ATP's Lost and Next Gens, but with no true greats. Sabalenka (1998), Swiatek (2001), and maybe Gauff (2004) and Andreeva (2007) seem to have the best potential since at least Sharapova.

The point being, while Swiatek may have fallen off a bit from the promise she showed in 2022 when she looked like could take over the WTA, she's still looking like a Henin-level great, if not eventually more, and we haven't really had any of those since, well, Henin. Even Sharapova was bolstered by longevity - she was never really more dominant than half the players listed above.

I also don't follow the ladies that much! Turned by TCC only to see Mboko in the final of Adelaide! She obviously got by Keys the other day! I saw the beginning of their match! I guess she's "for real!" I sorta recall her dissecting the seeded ladies up in Canada last year!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I also don't follow the ladies that much! Turned by TCC only to see Mboko in the final of Adelaide! She obviously got by Keys the other day! I saw the beginning of their match! I guess she's "for real!" I sorta recall her dissecting the seeded ladies up in Canada last year!

Mirra Andreeva gave Mboko a tennis lesson today defeating her 63 61,
Vicky will will learn more by the experience, she hasnt played a lot of top ten players, though she played well enough to defeat Madison Keys the defending champion in the QFs

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I don't know, Swiatek and Sabalenka are probably the best players of the post-prime Serena world (say, 2016-present), which has been dominated by lesser stars like Halep, Barty, Kerber, etc. They're getting closer to the Henin-to-Clijsters territory of lesser greats...Azarenka and maybe Barty had that potential, but both fell off. Osaka looked like she was going places, but she couldn't hack it.

I don't follow the WTA nearly as much, but I go through spurts of trying to catch up. One thing I've noticed, though, is that there's more of a fall-off from the inner circle greats and everyone else, and then with everyone else there are more 1-4 Slam types than the ATP. Anyhow, after Serena (born in 1981), the most accomplished players are Henin (1982), Clijsters (1983), and Sharapova (1987). Then you have a group of Ivanovic, Kerber, Azarenka, Kvitova, Wozniacki, Halep, Pliskova, Muguruza, Krejcikova, Barty, Osaka, Ostapenko, etc, born 1987-97...better than the ATP's Lost and Next Gens, but with no true greats. Sabalenka (1998), Swiatek (2001), and maybe Gauff (2004) and Andreeva (2007) seem to have the best potential since at least Sharapova.

The point being, while Swiatek may have fallen off a bit from the promise she showed in 2022 when she looked like could take over the WTA, she's still looking like a Henin-level great, if not eventually more, and we haven't really had any of those since, well, Henin. Even Sharapova was bolstered by longevity - she was never really more dominant than half the players listed above.

Agree Swiatek has fallen off the promise she showed in 2022, the players have worked out how to play her? especially on a hard court, players going hard and flat into her fhand, a big hitter can take the racquet out of her hands. Frankly I was surprised she won Wimbledon in 2025, though I also give a lot of credit to her new coach Wim Fissette. In regards of her winning her Career Grand Slam at the AO in 2026, it she makes the QFs where she is projected to meet Rybakina, a big hitter, their H2H is tied at 4 all, that could be a telling factor for her, if she can win her Career Slam

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

I don't know, Swiatek and Sabalenka are probably the best players of the post-prime Serena world (say, 2016-present), which has been dominated by lesser stars like Halep, Barty, Kerber, etc. They're getting closer to the Henin-to-Clijsters territory of lesser greats...Azarenka and maybe Barty had that potential, but both fell off. Osaka looked like she was going places, but she couldn't hack it.

You did not just disrespect Barty like that. Let me set the record straight on Barty's career. She was not a lesser star, but rather the dominant player in women's tennis from mid-2019 until early 2022. She never fell off, rather she retired prematurely after winning the 2022 Australian Open, and was #1 in the world at the time. She will be inducted to the Tennis Hall of Fame's class of 2027.

Barty is clearly on a level higher than Halep, Kerber, Azarenka, and Osaka. This should be clear and obvious to anyone who saw them play. Barty accomplished more in less time. She's like the Bjorn Borg of women's tennis. Barty and Borg are greats, but you'll always wonder what if they continued to play.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I am a bit surprised that Venus Williams has signed up to play doubles with Alexandrova? that was not on my bingo card

 

[El Dude]

You did not just disrespect Barty like that. Let me set the record straight on Barty's career. She was not a lesser star, but rather the dominant player in women's tennis from mid-2019 until early 2022. She never fell off, rather she retired prematurely after winning the 2022 Australian Open, and was #1 in the world at the time. She will be inducted to the Tennis Hall of Fame's class of 2027.

Barty is clearly on a level higher than Halep, Kerber, Azarenka, and Osaka. This should be clear and obvious to anyone who saw them play. Barty accomplished more in less time. She's like the Bjorn Borg of women's tennis. Barty and Borg are greats, but you'll always wonder what if they continued to play.

I did say that she showed greater promise than the pack but, in the end, she never had that one big dominant season. She was closer to if Borg had retired after 1977. Or a better comp might be Kuerten or Hewitt if they had retired while still at the top of their game.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

No 32 seed Marketa Vondrousova has withdrawn from the AO ongoing shoulder issues, ( not a shock as she withdrew from the Adelaide International)
Vondrousova is replaced by LL Taylor Townsend, who will face fellow American Hailey Baptiste.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

In a match that went for 3hours and 31 mins, high drama, roller coaster rides and then some
French player Jacquemot who scored her first ever win over a top 20 player defeated Kostyuk (20) in 3 sets, Kosthyuk had a MP in the 2nd set 6-5 and lost it, went to a 3rd set, where again each player had BPs to win before the 10 point TB, Kostyuk fell at the back of the court, had to call a trainer, had a MTO, had her ankle strapped and came back on the court for the 10 point TB
Jacquemot d Kostyuk (20) 67(4) 76(4) 10-7
I need a stiff drink after watching the match!

 

[britbox]

In a match that went for 3hours and 31 mins, high drama, roller coaster rides and then some
French player Jacquemot who scored her first ever win over a top 20 player defeated Kostyuk (20) in 3 sets, Kosthyuk had a MP in the 2nd set 6-5 and lost it, went to a 3rd set, where again each player had BPs to win before the 10 point TB, Kostyuk fell at the back of the court, had to call a trainer, had a MTO, had her ankle strapped and came back on the court for the 10 point TB
Jacquemot d Kostyuk (20) 67(4) 76(4) 10-7
I need a stiff drink after watching the match!

Dayana Yastremska joins her as another seeded casualty - Elena-Gabriela Ruse taking her out in straights, 6/4 7/5. Some might recall Yastremska knocking out Coco Gauff at Wimbledon last year.